Sandfall and Serpents
by Ellered
Summary: Ashe/Basch. Takes place in the Zertinan Caverns; a hunt for the Serpent.


**Title:** Sandfall & Serpents  
**Fandom: **FFXII  
**Pairing: **Ashe/Basch .  
**Rating:** M. Originally Nc-17, but had to omit several paragraghs. This was written last year.

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It was late afternoon, already something close to the sun settling on the banks of Westersand. _Close, so close_, by the north sprawling cliff where the vale blossoms used to grow. They've moved towards the north, she told him while they trekked up the hard sand. Her eyes were set, like the diamonds on her shield, and her hand held fast to the new blade the Viera in Rabanastre gifted.

In their dense shade, the ground was bare and wide with crests of cactuar and sparse vegetation. Behind, their footsteps disappeared; and the path below - the granules gritty as the pearls lining the mystic protectives she wore.

He asked her while alert for approaching alpha wolves and those that followed, about the present, past, and what future awaited. Her future. Avoiding the question of his, she glanced at the profile by her right.

"Have I mentioned that without your persistence, despite my efforts to waylaid them, I would not have gone this far."

She was talking about her resistence. Of both: Hers against the Empire from the north and hers of his presence.

Basch's steps were measured, slowing as the path reached a pinnacle. "I did my duty for the two years I was imprisoned; though it is not enough – I have failed the past and hope had left my mind before I met you."

_Was that a confession of a sort she expected? _

Her heart was beating fast, and the Diving Talon's above hovered close, encasing long shadows. Sloping below ground, the wind from Rozarria brought a gust – blowing the tapered material on her clasped vest behind her. Ashe reached up with her free hand, the blade now secured in a casing on her hip to block out the harsh ray of light falling on the horizon. Squinting, her eyes spotted feathered beasts on clawed foot. Mostly cowards if provoked; presently, they're of no consquence.

In the far distance, Ashelia could see the forming tornado of wind and that of the great Halycon. He saw it too. Their eyes met briefly; a sign of silent acknowledgment It was she who spoke, breaking the pregnant moment.

"Nay, Basch, you never failed. The Empire's greed has brought us here, and those that have sacrificed their lives have honoured us with their memory to never lose hope." Her words, she tried to choose them wisely, "I must remind myself that you've never done less than a hundred percent." She clamped her lips together, pacing steps to match his. He was all but quiet.

In that silence, her mind strayed to the springs in Dalmasca, the temperature a current reminder. She recalled that it brought nights bearing the trail of ziggurat stars in the skies. And she couldn't wait. In the winters, the desert is unbearable at night, eclipsing the painful heat in the day. Way down around the foot of their climb, in the valley there waited the Wyrm and the Tavern master's requested hunt. Her breath sucked in, Ashe is excited to fight with Basch. She had watched him for a long time, even before her vows to Rasler, and had been awed at his performance in the field. And in the company of their group, her eyes had strayed often to watch his lead; the rise of admiration growing he fought to serve and protect her started to lodge its way back into her heart.

They started to move forward, his shield glinted as a rare flowering flame azalea from the tops of a cactuar passed its reflection. With this acknowledgement, she wasn't sure which was more exciting: her own greedy need to hunt out a mark – _or to know he fought as wildly as her._

Her partner inhaled deeply; he paused when they reached a point where the line of Zertinan cavern waited for them to enter.

"This is it, your Majesty. I do not question your decision to embark on this hunt; yet I may fear the sting of the Serpent's tongue if there is none other in our company to secure our lives."

"You are in my care, Basch, I'm not so rash to understand what needs to be done. Take care to remember, I will secure of everything else – and only need to attack with aid of your new weapon." Her eyes flashed to the Deathbringer. A dull looking blade coloured near black but edged with a thick distinctive sharpness. Ashe neared, bringing a hand to his arm.

Her touch soft and firm as fingers slender and callous in areas where she held the hilts of swords. "I request you would call me Ashe. Vaan decides to call me by my birth name, and it never crossed my mind to correct him. And I insist..…" She searched his eyes; found them softening. "If you prefer," saying in wisdom, "Without the company of others."

"Perhaps that is wise. As for Vaan, he calls those he secures his friends by their given name without title; that boy grows to trust us and finds great comfort by our friendships."

Her lips quirked a little; they twitched to prevent the small bubble of laughter from her throat. Ever so fond of Basch's ever strict charcter rule of no-nonsense, she had to still the way her heart leapt to her mouth. _How would he react if I were to do more than ask for simple requests?_

"True that Now…Let us take the Serpentine hide and be back before they realize our departure." It was true their group had parted in pairs earlier, Balthier had something to do, relating to the Strahl; and his Viera partner ever by his side, stayed. Vaan and Penelo had been meaning to stop by Migelo's place and Old Dalan's for awhile; they've put off so many former responsibilities of late in place of a higher one. Their agreement to keep at least two to three hours of downtime in Rabanastre secure.

It was just so, as Ashe and Basch had made their way through the busy mercantile area – finding soon thereafter, the bilboard in the tavern, accepting a mark long overdue from the proprietor. It was a mark five, not easy to fell; consequently not as difficult as the Espers to be had in the future. Ashe's eyes were brimming with determination then. As rash as she was even before – wanting to jump on the Strahl alone, Basch could find no means to stop her. He wanted, to always remain by her side.

And a little less than a half hour later, the couple stood side by side, their hands close to touching. The nylon feel of her sleeve caressed his skin, aided by the wind; there in the depths of his mind, he heard secrets whispering dangerous warnings. He muffled a scoff: clarity had left long him long ago. His head moved so that he could watch her as she walked a little ahead, turning slightly to him.

Basch nodded, felt the heat rise from his neck, suffusing his face. The excitement climbed in his veins, reluctant eyes straying to her parted mouth: the way her hand slowly moved back to hover by her slender waist, to all the skin bared. "Your lead, My lady – Ashe." It was difficult to call her without a respected title. He had been addressing her properly even before her commitment to the late Lord Rasler.

As they passed through the line, emerging on the other side, their eyes had to adjust to the lack of light in the cavern. The darkened walls and the steep slope before them, Ashe refreshed a Libra technick to reveal areas of surprises they didn't want to encounter. Every movement being monitored by the occupants of the cavern, the fiends prepared their songs of regeneration and division. The couple first encountered the rubbery thick green flans and Ashe used instant block against their initial assault. Countering a first blow from her lessor sword, the flan was soon decimated by the KO'ed status of Basch's blade. It worked when it wanted to, this feature, though not as often as they'd like it to.

In the next few steps, they rounded a corner to find a treasure and two flans blocking their way. Ashe, being the quicker of the two slashed with eager strokes and her partner brought another blow to still the division of another. Basch bore the dark blade down the second one, paving open their path to the chest. She was relieved to find remedies as they're always useful. Another set of fiends, cousin to the croakidile; they leaped to greet their attackers and Ashe puffed out a breath, blocking a frontal leg attack and countering it with critical damage.

They managed to empty out the rest of the beasts, scouring the area for any flans falling from the ceiling. When they neared an area where sunlight filtered in, their swords sheathed.

"The tavern master mentioned that the serpent is shy." Basch said, his sword tucked away. "I find it hard to believe that such creatures could bear such qualities; even knowing that they do normally shy away from company, their attacks are quicker than lightning."

"It's not as bad as the hunt we had to take down not long ago.." She countered back with an unusual impish smile. Ashe was in good spirits, feeling adreneline pumping through her body and for the first time in a long time- felt light and free of the heavy burden of late. Her eyes caught the sun's light on his armour, where an unfastened clasp lay. The pool of light from the cavern's sandfall opening embraced their bodies; they appeared ethereal and looking as lovers before a great battle. Ashe reached up, touching where any loose bindings were, to find that the contact of her hand upon his chainmail pullover shirt was distracting her attention._ Did he feel it too?_ The invisible thread of electricity hovering above – _and how he might as well be naked? _

This wasn't the time for such matters; she scolded her thoughts, finding the answer in his eyes. "Basch…"

He said nothing, but his actions spoke volumes: a strong hand reached to capture hers, his voice low. "Which hunt? Let me guess…where the men had to be left behind?"

"It was actually an enjoyable fight, short-lived but fun…" She told him, and perhaps they would have stood there for a moment longer if not for the rise of serpentine skin emerging out of the sand. Their fingers parted ways, breaking the intimate contact to replace sword in hand.

Ashe went into battle mode: her attention focused on the time magick to slow the movements of their enemy down. Basch swung hard, crashing down the edge of the blade to dent the serpent's thick hide. It tried to swivel its body away, failing and rousing its courage to sink its fang into the nearest target. The blocking noise of shield clanked loudly in the echoed cavern, and Ashe was quick to use Blind. She had managed to slow the serpent's deadly attacks, helping her partner in need. In the heat of the battle, Basch countered with heavy blows, grunted as he sliced serpent skin open, blocked, and in the process lost some health. Ashe used cura immediately; her magick staying power extremely high – she brought him back to full. The Serpent had a difficult time finding targets, lashing out blindly. It gave the Princess time to use her physical attacks. Even when the Mark's last stand was in full mode, it slithered its body backward, drawing the couple into other enemies in the cavern. One last blow to the head and the Mark vanquished.

Panting, Ashe set her weapon away to use healing magick again. Her lips found a droplet of sweat that trickled from her forehead, the sun pooling around the cavern's edge too hot. "A job well done." She breathed out.

"Aye," His eyes took her in, searching for signs of any damage. It was second nature for him to keep her safe. He hadn't expected her to move so close, holding her hand over his deep wounds.

"You took quite a slashing."

"I've felt worse."

"I know…" She said, remembering his imprisonment, although he never mentioned those cuts that left marks on his skin, Ashe could only guess. And she wanted to see, to feel…to snake her hand down his solid back, touch sinewy muscles under skin so fine and find the soft tissue of scars. There was an ache between her legs as those thoughts lingered. _This was not the time_, where her sweat and sandy grime was an ill-favoured existence. She sucked in, inhaling all of him, and found his sweat spicy, masculine, and incredibly sexy.

Ashe had to make the first move. This was now or never.There would not be much time with the others and if he rebuked her, but ah…he wouldn't by the lay of his eyes. He was as eager as she, finding that his face had bent sideways toward hers so that she couldn't halt her hand on his bearded jaw. She opened her mouth to taste his tongue, sucked and moaned, pleased to hear his pleasured groan. Basch's hands held her hips to steady his shaking need, moving one down to cup her ass hesitantly, and she covered his own to push his advances further, urging him. Ashe brought her body hard against him, irritated at the layers of clothing between them. She felt his hand inch up to cup her breasts and she gasped into his mouth. Her fist buried in the back of his hair, gripping layers of light hair that poked out between fingers.

Basch clobbered her clarity; she was called back hard into her body. There was a rising heart beat just between her legs; the muscles of her face suddenly felt thick, large; a numbing but pleasurable sensation grew as their lips moulded together. She began to pull the heavy armour he wore, to stare openly at his naked chest. She drew his head back down for another kiss. Ashelia felt the warmth of his hand, where once fastened on her bare thigh, inched up to the inside of her skirt. Her own guiding his – offering assistance to discard the reluctance in his eyes. There was the sound of impatient kisses, and the steady beating of pulse on every venue of heat.

"Yes, please…_I want_..." She said, whispering, aching; Ashelia moved slightly away, breathless; her mouth felt dry, parting. There was a want there, pleased to know Basch's eyes could not leave from the tongue that wet her lips.

Ashelia couldn't get enough of kissing him; the gentle force of his face against hers moved her slowly backward until they lay together, entwined. The sand gritty against skin, but then they've forgotten how it should have been discomforting. Lips parted noisily. Sounds of hurried actions rustled sand, discarded clothes set aside. The forgotten layers had immediately peeled off their bodies; the soft sigh of nylon and light fibers; the heavier armour clanking noisily. Forgotten was the world outside, willing themselves to forget the dizzy humming in their ears.

The princess wasn't about to get her bare ass scraping against the sand, using her fingers, expertly, with hard breath - pulled at the material holding his groin. There was a loud thudding between her ears, and the hard ache between her thighs demanded…_wanted_. Bringing her body up, she threw a leg over, straddling him. And he – staring with breathless need – his mouth dry for want of her lips again.

Her lover helped her, holding her hips above his, easing downward. But her movements were unpredictable: Ashelia slid down, his hands releasing her as he felt her descend.

_--_

In the Tavern, the four remained sitting around a round table above stairs, pondering where Basch and Lady Ashe had gone off to.

Balthier leaned back against the hard chair, a frustrated expression and a drink in his hand, he drawled irritably. "And not even a note for us. Where do you suppose they are?"

Vaan stood up, "I'm going to ask the Tavern Master if they saw our companions around."

Fran crossed her arms, looking at her disgruntled partner. "My senses tell me that they're unharmed, if that's what you're concerned."

Penelo, between them, fidgeted on her tankard of carbonated Dalmascan beverage. She offered her own conclusion. "I'm sure Fran's right. It doesn't seem like them to leave without telling us where they went, and besides we did say we're to be here for a few hours before heading out."

"It's only been over an hour has it not?" Fran looked over at the younger woman, receiving a nod.

Vaan ran eagerly up the stairs a few moments later, his voice too loud in the noise-filled tavern. "Hey! They did leave a note to the Tavern Master, they're out to the Westersand area to hunt the Mark by themselves. It's in the Zertinan Caverns." His face looking eager for another hunt, only fell a moment later when Penelo told him that Basch and Lady Ashe most likely took care of it.

He believed that to be true too, and sat down. "Well, we can always go and meet them."

"Look, they've just arrived." Penelo warned.

They all turned in the direction of the entrance to see the couple's presence fill the Tavern, looking slightly tanner. It was already dark, the last Dalmascan light disappeared not too long ago.

As they approached the others, Lady Ashe smiled serenely, "Well, we procured the mark. And good news. There's another one on the other side of Zertinan Caverns – this ones an Esper to command, much like my Belias."

Basch stood behind her, his arms relaxed by his side; he bore the most relaxed almost exhausted look; the way he looked before – before they met him, and when Ashe fondly remembered how he was. The group started talking all at once, asking how the fight was, and if they had trouble – and scolded them for good measure for going off alone. They're in this together – all six of them, and without joining of hands to secure that – it went without saying.

The former Captain's eyes caught hers, quickly averting them. They waited for the others to get up and he joined the conversation. Before he turned away, Ashelia thought she saw the creeping blush stain his neck and cheeks.

She didn't believe they'd have another go very soon, so she steeled herself for the future.

**--x--**

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End file.
